Escape from Nevera Spectator Entry: Toby Vs Ace
by Toby Wright
Summary: ohgodwhatisthis. A bored moment is to blame. Title speaks for itself. Review plz?
1. Chapter 1

_Hey. Toby Wright here. This is a foreword, go ahead and skip if you feel like. _

_Zeurel owns Black Ace and Spoiler and etcetera, durpherdteherp. I just got really bored and decided to write a run-in between Toby and Ace. It was inevitable, really. Toby-wa always shoves her nose into tournaments. It's her job. _

_On another side, let me know if you like this. If you don't, I don't want to know. _

_Constructive Criticism is accepted as long as you're logged in. Seriously, guys, I'd like to be able to reply to stuff like that. _

_Anywhatzit, Enjoy!_

_-Toby_


	2. Run Like Hell and Hope He Didn't See You

_Just a bit of EXTREMELY late spectator entry BS. I don't personally think a skinny journalist for __The Undertown Times__ would last five minutes against Black Ace, but hey. I saw this guy and was all "GWAH". Maybe I'll cover Endzone next. I need to get on that._

_And yes, Flash's sort of the Daphne of the group. He's died three times so far, not counting this. (I just haven't put fingers to keyboard about it yet) _

Toby sighed, sending a tiny cloud of vapor into the air. Flash trotted after her, three metallic legs making more noise than she'd have liked. Dove, locked in her motionless stone form, hung around Toby's neck, her long monkey arms keeping a good grip. Between the stone monkey's weight and the heavy journalist's bag, Toby's four-foot-six frame wasn't doing well.

"Flash, _please _take Dove." She pulled the locked figure over her head, causing Dove to become fuzzy and sentient. Flash objected, of course, stating (in his own sort of computer language) that he needed to take pictures, and couldn't worry about carrying her too. Dove ignored him and promptly planted herself on Flash's spherical head.

"Have you seen anything yet?" Toby asked, lowering her voice involuntarily, shivering. The dark energy around the city seemed to be dragging all the heat out of the atmosphere.

Dove was on the verge of responding when a wave of dark energy hit them like a wall. Strong enough to cause Bear, a possessed teddy bear that Toby had adopted, to start trembling from her pack. Toby, wary, opened said messenger bag and placed her clipboard and pencil in next to the floppy stuffed bear.

Dove went from monkey to lovebird in an instant, perching on Toby's shoulder, hiding under her short, ginger hair. She was close enough to her ear so that she could hear her. "There's something in there."

Normally, she would have booted it for the nearest hiding place, but Toby seemed to know that whatever was watching them would just follow her. Like every other contestant in this Matron-forsaken city…

She combed the window, searching for movement.

"It's gone." Dove whispered. "But, not gone."

Dove's riddles gave her chills. She started when the distinct sound of a screaming computer reached her ears. She turned slowly, her hand going to the cello bow still in Bear's grip. "Flash?"

Her eyes widened when she realized her situation. A mech, probably a good foot taller than herself, had been standing over her for quite a while, holding Flash by his long neck. He appeared to be wearing a black mask, with a single red eye and half of a wicked, chilling grin.

"Put him down," She said, trying to be calm. Maybe, if she didn't provoke him, he'd leave them. "I don't want a fight, I'm just a journalist."

"You misunderstand my intentions." He replied. The demonic voice he possessed cut Toby's mind like a knife, and she suddenly regretted being able to sense such things. He tightened his grip on the defenseless robot's neck, crushing him.

"I don't really care whether or not _you _want a fight." He continued, thoroughly enjoying Toby's devastated expression as Flash clattered to the cobblestone street. "I don't think you've got much of a choice."

In an instant, a flesh hook whistled through the air into the ground, piercing Flash's head. His red eye ceased its panicked flickering, the remnants of his battery finally giving out. Dove reacted immediately, forming a white shield and attaching herself to Toby's right arm. With the other arm, Toby readied herself to retrieve her cello bow if she needed it.

Being of four and a half feet, fifty-four grams and with no significant fighting skills or strength to speak of, it only made sense to vacate the area before this mech decided to make the first move. Securing her messenger bag, she bolted. The city was crumbling; it wouldn't take long to find a hiding place.

"You know him," Dove whispered as she ran, knowing the mech was well on her tail.

"Do I?" Toby deadpanned, allowing Dove to guide her arm. A flesh hook rammed into her friend's steel surface, the two energies clashing with a hiss, a puff of smoke. But Dove couldn't be everywhere at once; one of the hooks managed to snake around the companion, wrapping around Toby's unprotected calve and sinking its teeth into the back of her leg.

Toby, with all the momentum, twisted around, landing on her back. Dove abandoned her metallic form as she clattered across the street, choosing a more bird-like form.

"A hummingbird!" Toby yelled, watching in vain as Dove fled the scene. "Useful!"

Next Toby knew, the demon's polearm was in her face, nearly scalding her with the dark energy. She shook; being below guardian status, she had no enchantments or spells she could use to escape; all power she may have used had flown away with the Dove. She got a good look at the mask now, and a little beyond… She gasped. "Spoiler?"

The mech-demon chuckled, holding the polearm aloft, ready to remove her head. "I'm afraid Spoiler's not available right now."

Ace swung down the polearm at the same instant a stained-glass window shattered above them. Glass showered onto his head (which worked as a barricade for Toby, with the exception of a few pieces), distracting him. He stopped the polearm inches from her nose, burning it a bit. The smell of old blood reached her sinuses.

Another few seconds, and Toby would have been a thing of the past. Instead, the gargantuan, stilt-legged form of a Moa crashed down onto Ace's back, flapping its comparatively stubby wings uselessly. Ace was shoved down into cobblestones, facedown.

The Moa made an odd hooting noise, pecked the back of his head a few times and returned to her usual songbird form.

"I don't believe you." Toby grimaced as she unwound the hook from her leg. It was bleeding more than usual; most of the time, injuries like these healed exceedingly fast. She managed an approving smile, though, as Dove alighted on her shoulder.

"Be careful." The Dove's wispy voice barely reached her ear.

"Of what? Murderous psychopaths?" She replied quietly, limping away from the seemingly unconscious mech, back for Flash. Black ichor slowly flowed from the wound, down her leg, staining her brown socks. It would probably stain her boots, too. Great. She let out a hefty sigh, her nerves racked. "I need something with strings."

"No strings." Dove replied, gliding down to land on Flash's dead chassis. Toby put a hand on his lens, and was suddenly overcome with a wave of unnatural concern. She wasn't mentally designed for hurting people unless they were attacking her Resident, and she didn't even _have _one. Even this mech was sentient.

"You… didn't kill him, did you?" She asked Dove. "That Moa was pretty heavy."

Dove shook her head, almost laughing. She agreed; the idea was ridiculous. Toby scooped up the little camera, taking another glance back at the mech. The energy had changed; she didn't feel any sort of eerie aura anymore. Maybe dove had shaken Ace free temporarily. She stared down at the crumpled frame, then back at Dove.

"Beam us up, Scotty." She smiled at her reference (an overused joke on her part alone) as the Dove began to glow. Seconds later, they'd disappeared.

_And then they escaped._

_First try. How'd I do?_

_.3. yeah. It's short. How ELSE did I do?_


End file.
